Memoirs Aren't Fairytales: A Story of Addiction [Paperback]

Marni Mann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 2011

"I could feel my chin falling towards my chest, my back hunching forward. My body was acting on its own, and my mind was empty, like all my memories had been erased. There was scenery behind my lids. Aqua colored water and powdery sand that extended for miles. I was never going back to coke. I wanted more heroin. And I wanted it now." Leaving behind a nightmarish college experience, nineteen-year-old Nicole and her best friend Eric escape their home of Bangor, Maine to start a new life in Boston. Fragile and scared, Nicole desperately seeks a new beginning to help erase her past. But there is something besides freedom waiting for her in the shadows--a drug that will make every day a nightmare. Heroin. With one taste, the love that once flowed through Nicole's veins turns into cravings. Tracks mark the passing of time, and heroin's grip gets tighter. It holds her hand through deaths and prostitution, but her addiction keeps her in the darkness. When her family tries to strike a match to help light her way, Nicole must choose between a life she can hardly remember, or a love for heroin she'll never forget.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Booktrope Editions (December 13, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935961292
• ISBN-13: 978-1935961291
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (214 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A New Englander at heart, Marni Mann, now a Floridian is inspired by the sandy beaches and hot pink sunsets of Sarasota. A writer of literary fiction, she taps a mainstream appeal and shakes worldwide taboos, taking her readers on a dark, harrowing, and gritty journey. When she's not nose deep in her laptop, she's scouring for chocolate, traveling, reading, or walking her four-legged children. Scars from a Memoir is her second book, a sequel to the highly regarded Memoirs Aren't Fairytales: A Story of Addiction. Having heard from readers that Young Adult versions would be appreciated, she created special editions of each novel that are intended for younger readers. You can follow Ms. Mann on her author website at www.marnismann.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Memoirs" is Memorable February 13, 2012

By Nina Rae

Format:Paperback

Having read many books about addiction, I wondered what would make this one different and more absorbing than the rest. Right from the start, I found the difference immediately. Ms. Mann possesses a gift for creating characters and situations that kept me riveted to her book. This author paints a vivid picture of a young woman so heavily addicted to hard-core drugs that she has no love or feelings for anyone or anything else except her drug of choice. Instead of making me grow attached to the main characters in her book, I was drawn in by how their innate personalities disappeared when ruled by their addictions. With her exceptional ability for detail,Ms. Mann taught me so much more than I ever knew about a world that no human being ever wants to enter. Yet, I know this world truly exists, and I learned so much about those who enter this alternate universe. The author understands how families react in hopeless situations; i.e., trying to help, becoming confused, attempting to fix the situation with unconditional love, resigning themselves and coping by turning away from their loved one.

Ms. Mann kept me turning page after page to find out what could possibly take place next. A lot happens in this book. However, the story flows without becoming choppy or sloppy. This author has a unique style which I personally find exciting. I have closed many books before finishing them because they just do not hold my interest , but definitely not this one. I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Mann.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It may be fiction, but it sure tells it exactly like it is! April 29, 2012

By Rebecca L. Fisk

Format:Kindle Edition

I decided that I had to read this book, not only because the subject matter was of personal interest to me, but because I wanted to see if the author knew what she was talking about...a friend sent it to me, and...

I started reading. I kept reading. I got sucked in, and couldn't put it down. The whole time I was reading, one part of my brain was engaged in how gruesomely entertaining Nicole's story was, and the other was how gruesomely accurate the depiction of addiction was. My first thought after finishing the very last sentence was, "Wow."

My second thought was that every single Addictions Therapist or Counselor who has not experienced an addiction of their own should be mandated to read Nicole's story. Here's the catch. This is a work of fiction, technically. "Nicole" doesn't exist. But the reality is that there are thousands and thousands of men and women like Nicole.

Some people will avoid this book because it will make them uncomfortable. That's ok. But if you want to know what addiction really is like, if you want to understand how someone smart, talented, and seeming to have it all ends up living on the streets, then you must read it. If you want to hear the story of thousands of young people in the U.S., read this book. If you want to know the faces of the hundreds of people I have worked with over the past 11+ years, read this book. If you know and love someone who has an addiction, read this book. Marni Mann has created a masterpiece.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Heroin & its bedfellows... February 28, 2012

By Cassius Shuman

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really didn't know what to expect when I loaded Marni Mann's "Memoirs Aren't Fairytales" into my Kindle. I knew that it was a story about drug addiction. I just didn't know that it was so much more than a study about, or examination of, drug abuse and addiction. Memoirs Aren't Fairytales transcends the normal drug addiction fare by placing you firmly within the mind of a drug addict. You are front row and center to the life and habits of a fatalistic user who has fallen prey to her drug of choice (heroin), causing her to spiral out of control into a destructive, dark hole. Beware: like addiction, this story grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go.

At times while reading this book I felt off balance, queasy and disoriented. Presumably by design, the author injects you into a seedy, rat and roach infested, drug-induced journey through hell. As the story progresses the landscape (the streets of Boston, Massachusetts) turns from vivid and colorful to dark and bleak. At times, due to some pretty heady subject matter, you are compelled to turn, or look, away. But, the main character, Nicole, doesn't allow you to do so. She just keeps pulling you deeper into the tangled web she has weaved. And, we walk in her dubious shoes throughout the story. Stepping into Nicole's troublesome shoes is like riding a train that's gone off of the rails. We are not only sorely seeking sobriety for her, but helplessly watching her life slip away as she 'Chases the Dragon.'

The story is not for the faint of heart. It is not a fairytale. How could a story about drug abuse be easy to digest? But it isn't terribly difficult to endure and swallow either. In fact, it's a thoroughly captivating tale that leaves you wanting more. You want to read this book. It calls upon you like an addictive drug to keep turning the pages. The funny thing is while turning the pages you get lost in the journey. Just like a drug can cause you to lose track of time so does this story. When I was finished with the book I was sad that it had ended. I wanted to know more about what had become of Nicole and her battle with addiction. By the way, I've heard that Marni Mann is busy writing the next installment. So, those questions will be answered.

The characters in this book are fully developed real people. If you like stories about real people placed within precarious predicaments then this book is for you. I think you'll find the characters to be sympathetic, complex and three dimensional. You will feel as if you know, or have known them in some incarnation or another. This is especially true of Nicole and her family. These are real people with real problems. I related to their tragic, difficult plight as they wrestled with their daughter and her demons. And, the author does a good job of making you pull for Nicole, the main character, to get sober while painting a wonderful and heart wrenching portrait of life on the streets.

One thing I kept wondering while reading the book was, did this really happen to the author? Is this her actual true-to-life addiction memoir? Is Nicole really Marni Mann? Did she experience what her main character went through? It's hard to believe that she didn't. The story feels so real that Nicole seems like an aka for Marni Mann. I know that the author did extensive research before writing this book and it shows.

The title is fitting for this tragic tale. Memoirs Aren't Fairytales. They're about the harsh reality that drugs can claim your soul. That addiction is very real, very destructive and very dangerous. If you had any doubts about it they while be vanquished after reading this story. This book, written brilliantly by debut author Marni Mann, is a compelling examination of drug use in our society. If you want to get lost within a mesmerizing story while learning a thing or two about addiction then Memoirs Aren't Fairytales is for you. Published by Booktrope Editions, you can find it available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes among other venues. Or you can go to [...]